Two western Pa. high school football players killed in crash

Crash that left 3 dead, four injured happened night before playoff game.

November 10, 2013|By Bill Vidonic, Of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | By Bill Vidonic, Of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Five Sharon High School football players crammed into a sport utility vehicle late Friday, heading home after watching a playoff game in Hermitage.

The passengers joked and chowed down pizza, thinking ahead to their own playoff game the next day — the Sharon Tigers' first playoff appearance in three years — one of the players said Saturday.

Troy Hejazi said that moments after driver Corey Swartz dropped him off at his home, he heard a horrific crash. He had no idea that two of his teammates had just lost their lives as did the driver of another vehicle; that two more of his teammates suffered serious injuries; and that two children in the other vehicle were injured.

Hejazi said he learned about the crash when someone came to his house, fearing he had been in the wreck.

The two-vehicle crash in Sharon on Friday night that killed three people and injured four others is the latest in string of tragedies for the district his year.

Students and staff have struggled to deal with the shooting death of one student, the beating of the high school football coach and the sudden loss of a beloved elementary school teacher, Superintendent Mike Calla said.

"These students have had to grow up very quickly this year," Calla said.

According to Sharon Police, a Mazda containing the Sharon football players and driven by Swartz, 17, of Sharon crossed the median strip on East Connelly Boulevard and collided head-on with a pickup driven by John Zdelar Jr., 50, of Brookfield, Ohio.

Mercer County Coroner Brad McGonigle pronounced both drivers dead at the scene as well as Swartz's passenger and teammate, Evan Gill, 17, of Sharon.

Two other passengers in the Mazda, twin brothers Greg and Craig Osmon, 17, of Sharon were transported to Sharon Regional Health System and transferred to St. Elizabeth's hospital in Youngstown, where they underwent surgery. Their conditions were not immediately available.

Evan Wallace, 10, of Brookfield, a passenger in Zdelar's truck, was taken to UPMC Children's Hospital in Oakland for treatment. Another passenger, Blake Yenderak, 12, of Brookfield, was treated at Sharon Regional Health System and released.

The preliminary investigation does not indicate that alcohol, drugs or texting were factors in the crash, according to Sharon police Chief Michael J. Menster. He said police are continuing to investigate.

PIAA District 10 officials canceled Saturday's high school football playoff game between the Sharon Tigers and Girard Yellow Jackets.

After a Saturday team meeting that Calla described as "very emotional," the team decided to reschedule the game for 7 p.m. Monday at Veterans Stadium in Erie.

"It's a brave move by these kids in a very difficult situation," said PIAA District 10 official Pete Iacino.

Calla said the players had just left the high school playoff game in Hermitage and were heading home.

He said Swartz, Gill and the Osmons were team leaders and leaders in their class of 110 seniors.

Swartz's sister said the four were inseparable on and off the field. She laughed recalling a picture of them sporting colorful Hawaiian shirts in an area drugstore.

"They were always having a good time," Amber Swartz, 19, said. She said her brother leaves behind four siblings, including herself.

"Everyone should remember the boys, but we also want them to remember everybody else affected by this," Angie Anderson, Amber's mother, said Saturday.

Family members of the other teens could not be reached Saturday.

Iacino said that the Sharon City School District intended to make grief counselors available for students.

In January, sophomore and basketball player Leangelo Ford, 17, was shot to death. Jontae M. Barnes, 20, of Sharon, was sentenced in September to between one and two years in jail on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, according to online court records.

On Aug. 11, just as football practice was about to start, police said a former player attacked coach Jim Wildman in his home, severely injuring him. Joseph Koscinski, 39, is awaiting trial on charges including aggravated assault.

Fewer than three weeks later, Calla said, sixth-grade teacher Linda Haines, 56, who taught at Case Elementary, died unexpectedly, just before classes began.

"It's been a tough go already for the district," Calla said.

Staff writer Matt Santoni contributed to this report. Bill Vidonic is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5621 or bvidonic@tribweb.com.